Definition
A two-wheeled cart or wagon used historically to transport manure, goods, or condemned prisoners (famously during the French Revolution); it could be tilted to dump its contents. The term is also spelled 'tumbril' and was a common vehicle in medieval and early modern Europe.
Example Usage
The guards loaded the condemned nobles into a tumbrel for the journey to the guillotine.
Origin
From Old French 'tomberel,' derived from 'tomber' (to fall or tumble), referring to the cart's tilting mechanism.
Fun Fact
Marie Antoinette was famously transported to her execution in a tumbrel in 1793, an image immortalized in art and literature.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
Related Terms
Translate This Term
See “Tumbrel” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
Try the Translator